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Definition of overdrive
1 : an automotive transmission gear that transmits to the drive shaft a speed greater than engine speed
2 : a state of heightened activity going into rhetorical overdrive
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Examples of overdrive in a Sentence
He put the car into overdrive.
His acting career is in overdrive.
The reporters went into overdrive to finish their stories on time.
Recent Examples of overdrive from the Web
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A shot of sulforaphane kicks the creation of those oxidants into overdrive, bolstering at the cellular level the body's capacity to resist a wide range of malfunctions.
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My emotions are on overdrive with pregnancy hormones too.
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That’s when their relationship went into overdrive.
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The Federation of German Societies works hard to keep German culture alive here in Indiana, and this summer its going into overdrive.
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Other neurotransmitter receptors kick into overdrive to compensate for the overworked cannabinoid receptors.
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In fact, while global inequality is simply accelerating, in America it's gone into overdrive.
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For the lightcycle chase, the duo combine a muted pulse with drum machines, Hans Zimmer horn blasts, and a string section going into Philip Glass overdrive.
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The impending GOP takeover of the NLRB has forced students to kick their organizing campaigns into overdrive—with disappointing results.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overdrive'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of overdrive
1926
OVERDRIVE Defined for English Language Learners
overdrive
playDefinition of overdrive for English Language Learners
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: a gear in an automobile that allows it to be driven at higher speeds
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: a state of great activity especially in order to achieve something
Learn More about overdrive
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